Sri Lanka's Christian community has expressed optimism over President Anura Kumara Dissanayake's pledge to reveal the masterminds behind the 2019 Easter attacks.
President Dissanayake, who assumed office in late 2024, had earlier said that his government is working diligently to identify key suspects by April 21, the date of the sixth anniversary.
The coordinated suicide bombings, carried out on 2019 Easter, targeted three churches and three luxury hotels across Colombo, Negombo, and Batticaloa, killing over 270 people, including 47 foreigners, and injuring more than 500.
The Islamic State claimed responsibility, but the full extent of local and international involvement has remained unclear, with Sri Lanka's Catholic Church frequently denouncing the government’s investigations as inadequate and politically motivated.
This year, however, the tone has shifted.
"The catholics remain in hope of the president’s announcement to disclose the masterminds of the attack. We are satisfied with the current investigations,” Father Jude Krishantha, spokesperson for the Archbishop of Colombo, told reporters.
He said Dissanayake had said he would reveal the "hidden hands" behind by April 21, the sixth anniversary of the attack.
The church expects a full investigation and "reveal who was behind it and what was their aim", and "they must be punished”, Krishantha said.
In a significant shift from previous years, the Church announced it will not organise any public protests this year. Since 2019, the Catholic community has staged annual demonstrations demanding justice, often accusing successive governments of political interference and cover-ups.
The decision not to protest comes amid recent government claims that Sivanesathurai Chandrakanthan alias Pillayan, a former Tamil militant and ex-chief minister of the Eastern Province, may have had a role in the Easter attacks.
“We have been informed that Pillayan was responsible, and we now await action,” said Krishantha.
Pillayan is currently detained under the Prevention of Terrorism Act (PTA) on unrelated charges stemming from the 2006 abduction and disappearance of an academic in the Eastern Province.
Police Minister Ananda Wijepala told Parliament last week that new information linking Pillayan to the Easter attacks had surfaced during his detention.
On Thursday, police announced the arrest of Pillayan’s driver in connection with the ongoing investigation into the professor's abduction.
